


Sunshine

by aj_linguistik



Series: SAO Pride Week 2020 [3]
Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Day 3, F/F, Love Confessions, One Shot, Pastries, Rain, SAO Pride Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25387579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_linguistik/pseuds/aj_linguistik
Summary: Submission for Day 3 of SAO Pride Week 2020- Rainy DayRonye's saved up plenty of shia. She's worked up her courage. Now, the only thing left is to actually do it.
Relationships: Ronye Arabel/Tiese Shtolienen
Series: SAO Pride Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838614
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17
Collections: SAO Pride Week 2020





	Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I don't know what's with me and pastries and TieRon but it's inescapable with me. I like fluffy times with the girls and baked goods.

The rainy season never feels all that pleasant to Ronye. It’s filled with puddles, low visibility outdoors, and leaves you soaked to the bone after a quick dash outside to run a quick errand. Even with an umbrella over her head, the wind picked up and sprayed thousands of tiny droplets all over her, turning a perfectly dry uniform into a sopping wet, rather miserable page. She sighed as she stepped up to the last store on her stop.

_Hopefully, the rain won’t ruin this, too_ , she thought.

She glanced around inside of the shop. There was quite a bit of bustle. She’d come at the busy part of the day. Drooping forward a bit, she cursed her bad luck and slipped into the line. She knew what she was here to order; she’d just have to be patient and wait for her turn to come around. Until then, she was at least grateful to be out of the rain. She might even be dry by the time she made it through the line.

Her final stop was the Prancing Deer. The shop was beloved by the people of North Centoria and almost even more so by the students of the Swordcraft Academy. Its popular treats warmed people’s hearts and filled up their stomachs. Ronye was no stranger to how delicious these baked goods could be—it was actually rather frequently that her elite disciple, a commoner named Kirito, would show up and offer the crowd favorite, honey pies, to her and Tiese. Just thinking about the delicious treat made her mouth water, but that wasn’t why she was here today.

There was a special menu item that had come to be associated with love confessions. It was a pie-like treat, sweet and filled with red berries and cream. They were baked into the shape of a heart and were a bit pricier than the other baked goods. Ronye had saved up a lot of her own allowance in order to purchase this very treat today. She’d told herself it was finally time—she was going to ask Tiese out.

For this reason, she’d hoped that the line was short. A short line meant that she’d have less time to think over what she was doing and then chicken out. She couldn’t chicken out now—not when she’d saved up enough to purchase one. But this downpour and the line in front of her made it so easy to just slip away and save it for another day. She clutched the handle of her umbrella and gazed over at the door. Her foot started to move for her.

“Oh, Ronye? What are you doing here?”

She yelped and turned back around to see the customer in front of her gazing over his shoulder at her. Her heart sank down into her stomach as she realized who was standing before her this whole time, with his hands in his pockets and a sleepy look on his face. She gave a quick, polite bow, embarrassed to have made such an unseemly noise.

“K-Kirito-senpai!” she exclaimed. “I’m…I’m picking up a special treat today…”

Ronye couldn’t bring herself to admit more in the moment, but now that she’d said it and admitted it to him, she couldn’t back down. This ensured that she’d stay put and do what she’d told herself she would do. She awkwardly smiled up at him, trying not to betray her racing, uneasy thoughts. He gave her a sleepy smile back.

“Is that so?” he said. “I’m sure you know what I’m here to pick up.”

She let out a giggle.

“Honey pies…”

He nodded, looking quite pleased with himself.

“Yeah, I’ve figured out that Eugeo really, really does like them,” he said. “So, now I’m just grabbing them whenever I can because it’s fun to tease him with fresh-baked treats. What kind of a special treat are you here for? A cake? Is it someone’s birthday?”

Kirito made an awkward noise in his throat.

“Don’t tell me I forgot your birthday!” he exclaimed.

Ronye had to stop herself from laughing even harder. Her tension was leaving just by talking to her mentor. He had that effect on people. She couldn’t feel nervous about her love confession when this elite disciple was awkwardly fumbling over his words, worrying that he hadn’t given her a birthday greeting. She shook her head at him.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” she said. “It’s a different kind of special.”

Even with the tension feeling lighter, it was embarrassing to tell him what she was here for. She hadn’t told anyone about her crush on Tiese. Staring down at her feet, she knocked her shoes against one another, trying to think of what to say to the older boy. She glanced up to see him curiously gazing down at her, his tired eyes a little wider than they had been before. She swallowed. She had to say something.

“Oh, I just wanted to get something for Tiese,” she said.

It was vague enough that it wouldn’t give her away, but it also wasn’t telling him a lie. He smiled warmly at her and nodded.

“You’re such a kind friend, Ronye,” he said. “I’m sure Tiese will love whatever you pick out for her.”

Her heart skipped a beat hearing those words. He had no idea that she was selecting the berries and cream pastry. The very idea of Tiese accepting the treat and her love made her heart skip a beat. She could feel her cheeks heating up. Kirito blinked at her.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“N-nothing at all!” she exclaimed.

Kirito straightened up, seeming quite perplexed by her behavior. She internally apologized for it, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself any further. The line, fortunately for her, finally reached Kirito’s turn. He whirled around, suddenly quite full of energy, and relayed his honey pie order to the laughing baker behind the counter. He must have been such an eager regular that he’d been expected, because his order appeared rather quickly. As he turned to pay, he reached back and patted Ronye on the head.

“Looks like it’s your turn,” he said. “I’ll wait for you by the door. We can walk back together.”

Seeing as she was trying to keep the kind of order she was making a secret, that was the last thing she wanted. There was no telling Kirito no, though. It was a truth she’d come to accept after being his page for a while. He was incredibly stubborn. She’d just have to keep him from prodding her about what she was ordering. She turned to face the baker, greeted him with a bow and a smile, and then drew in a deep breath.

“What can I get for you, miss?” he asked, his kind older face crinkling up a bit as he smiled. “Anything in mind, or would you like a suggestion?”

She shook her head.

“I…I know what I’d like to get,” she said.

Feeling anxious, she pointed at the berries and cream pastry.

“I…I’d like to get one of those,” she stammered.

The baker’s smile felt warmer now as he reached over to select a fresh one and slip it into a bag for her. He rolled up the end expertly, then sealed it with a little wax seal. She supposed that was to keep it fresh, but when she looked at it closer, she noticed a little heart on the seal. This was a special seal just for this treat. He handed the bag to her.

“I wish you all of the luck in the world,” he said. “You and the person you love.”

Ronye felt her cheeks heating up. She nervously thanked him then hurried over to the other counter to pay for it. She fumbled around for the proper change, feeling like the pressure was on her to go faster from the people behind her in the line. Once the right amount was out, the clerk gave her back her change and she scurried over to the door. Kirito smiled at her. She lifted up her umbrella and held it up for him to duck under.

“Ah, thanks, Ronye,” he said.

She huffed.

“Why don’t you have an umbrella?” she asked.

Kirito averted his eyes for a moment, mumbled something under his breath, and then turned the conversation back on her without missing a beat.

“So, what did you pick out for Tiese?” he asked.

Sighing, she shook her head.

“I-it’s a surprise,” she stammered.

Kirito hummed.

“For me?” he asked. “If you’re giving it to Tiese, then why should it be a surprise for me?”

Truly, he could be so dense at random times. She groaned. There was going to be no easy way out of this conversation, no matter how she looked at it. She dropped her shoulders and gave Kirito a look, trying to let him know that his banter wasn’t appreciated. He straightened up, almost whacking his head on the inside of the umbrella.

“No, for Tiese,” she muttered.

He scratched his cheek.

“So, why am I not allowed to know?” he asked.

His question sounded innocent, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Why do you need to know so badly, Kirito-senpai?” she asked. “Maybe I’d just like to keep it a secret between myself and Tiese!”

He raised his eyebrows and smirked at her a bit. It seemed like he got the picture. He still managed to toss himself into a strange conversation about it, though, despite her saying nothing other than stating her desire to keep this a secret. He mentioned that she could take some cofil tea to serve Tiese alongside the treat. It was a rainy day, after all, he told her, and rainy days meant nice warm things to eat and drink that kept you content on the inside while you stayed dry inside. At first, she wanted to decline—his insistence took her right into his dorm, frazzled and waiting for a serving of the drink.

As she waited, his roommate, Eugeo, walked into the main area and did a double take when he saw her standing there. Her nerves only ramped up. She could only hope that he, unlike Kirito, wouldn’t be to intrusive about things. Eugeo glanced around the area, frowning deeply, and then stepped forward, giving her an apologetic look.

“Is he not back yet?” he asked. “I’m terribly sorry. I can get your mentor changed, if you need—”

She waved her hands to cut him off.

“Uh-um! No! That’s not it!” she said.

Kirito reentered the room at just the right time, holding a big container that she supposed was filled to the brim with cofil tea. He shook his head at his roommate.

“Now, now, Eugeo, I didn’t abandon her here!” he insisted. “I was getting this for her.”

Eugeo frowned at the container.

“Did you make sure to put milk and sugar in that?” Eugeo asked rather flatly.

Kirito almost choked as he sucked in a breath.

“I-I! Of course, I did!” he spluttered. “I kept in mind that this is for Tiese and Ronye to share, so I didn’t make it according to my own preferences.”

Eugeo narrowed his eyes a little, suggesting that he wasn’t done with this conversation, and then he turned to Ronye, smiling politely as ever.

“Is there anything else you need?” he asked. “Or have you got everything already?”

She shook her head, unsure of what to say. Eugeo owed her nothing. Yet he was being sweet and kind to her. It was almost as if subconsciously, these two boys knew she was doing something very brave today and were silently cheering her on. She would take their kindness and goodwill as a sign that things were going to go smoothly. Smiling, she reached out and took the container from Kirito.

“Thank you, but I think this is everything,” she said. “I’m sorry I haven’t explained yet, Kirito-senpai. After today, I think I’ll be able to tell you without feeling scared.”

He smiled at her and nodded.

“Alright,” he said. “Good luck.”

With that, she turned on her heel and headed off to her own living space, drawing up courage in her chest to go and do what she’d planned. She didn’t put too much thought into it as she marched down the hall on her mission. By the time she reached the door, she realized she hadn’t prepared anything to say. But if she stood out here too long, other students would notice, and that would make things ten times more awkward than they already were. She shook her head, telling herself she could do this.

She only had one free hand to knock with. It sounded rather pathetic. She waited for a moment, wondering if she might need to set something down and open the door herself, and was relieved when Tiese opened up the door, smiling at her. She glanced down at what was in Ronye’s arms and giggled.

“What’s all of this?” she asked. “Do you need some help?”

Ronye shook her head and scurried into the room. She sat down the container of cofil tea on her desk, as well as the sealed bag with the pastry inside. She held up her finger as Tiese went to ask another question, disappeared for a moment into the shared kitchenette, and then reappeared with some teacups. She sat them down on the desk, pulled over Tiese’s chair, and offered for her to sit down. Tiese blushed a little and sat down very properly in the seat.

“I…I just wanted to bring you something special,” Ronye said, hovering behind her own chair.

She focused her energy on something else. She picked up the container and carefully poured Tiese a cup of the cofil tea, which, as Kirito had highlighted to Eugeo, was perfectly mixed with milk and sugar to keep it from being bitter. Tiese thanked her for the drink and raised it to her lips to take a sip.

“Mm, that’s mixed quite nicely,” she said. “Perfect for this rainy day. Thank you, Ronye.”

Ronye awkwardly nodded, then picked up the pastry bag. It was thankfully still a bit warm due to the bag. She looked over at Tiese and waited for her to look up at her. Tiese tilted her head. Ronye drew in a deep breath.

“I know this might be sudden, but I’ve been waiting a while to say something,” she started. “At first, I thought you might laugh at me if I said it. We’re good enough friends now that I know you won’t laugh at me, no matter what you think.”

Tiese smiled at her and set her cup down, nodding.

“Of course,” she said. “You can tell me anything!”

This was the moment she’d been waiting for. She’d saved up her money, braved the line, and bought this confessional gift. Now, she was moments away from passing it on. She felt her heart racing in her chest as she held out the package to Tiese and nodded for her to open it up. Tiese took it, holding it gingerly, and then slowly broke the seal to pull out the treat inside. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she was holding.

“Ronye…” she said.

The girl bobbed her head a little.

“Tiese, I really, really like you,” she said. “My heart felt so full-to-bursting today, just like these rainclouds.”

Her eyes snapped shut. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She was saying such silly things. Ronye shook her head. She had to keep going. She had to tell Tiese how she really felt. She opened her eyes, and then she spoke again.

“Tiese, I love you, and—”

Wait, when had Tiese stood up and gotten so close? She almost yelped in surprise again. But Tiese took her by the hands and leaned forward to plant a cautious kiss on her cheek. She smiled at her warmly.

“I love you, too, Ronye,” she said. “You’re my sunshine on a rainy day.”

The two girls embraced. Ronye found herself miraculously appreciative of this dreary, wet day. The puddles, wind, and grey sky no longer mattered. In her heart, it was warm and dry, like a beautiful summer day.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hope it was cute and fluffy. And I hope that if you're having a rainy day, too, that this has warmed you a bit.


End file.
